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Added on the 27/02/2023 17:14:59 - Copyright : Euronews EN
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces deal with European Union to overhaul Northern Ireland Brexit protocol."Today's agreement delivers smooth flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom, protects Northern Ireland's place in our union and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland," he says. SOUNDBITE
After a meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Belfast on talks over the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, Naomi Long, the leader of Northern Ireland's centrist Alliance Party, says that "things are gradually moving in the direction of a potential deal" but cautions that "we are not over the line yet." The protocol on post-Brexit trading rules, signed between London and Brussels keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market and customs union and stipulates checks on goods moving from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland. It has proved deeply unpopular with the UK-run province's unionist politicians, causing months of political deadlock. SOUNDBITE
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives at Northern Ireland's Assembly in Belfast on the second day of his two-day visit to the UK territory, which comes after Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill made history by becoming its first nationalist leader. O'Neill, a pro-Irish unity politician, has predicted that Northern Ireland will hold a vote on unification with Ireland within the next decade. However, Sunak's government said earlier this week that Northern Ireland's place within the UK appears "secure for decades". IMAGES
US President Joe Biden meets with UK Prime Minister Rish Sunak during his short visit to Northern Ireland. His visit marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, a US-brokered peace agreement ending the conflict between pro-Irish and pro-British militants in April 1998. IMAGES
While encouraging Northern Ireland's DUP to 'find a way of reconciling' themselves to Rishi Sunak's Windsor Framework deal, which proposes improvements to Northern Ireland's border rules, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the agreement is 'not about the UK taking back control', and is 'really a version of the solution that was being offered last year.' SOUNDBITE
Chris Heaton-Harris, the UK's Northern Ireland minister, insists he is "under a legal duty to call an election within 12 weeks." The announcement comes as a deadline to resume devolved government at the Stormont assembly passed at midnight, after UK and regional lawmakers failed to resolve a standoff over post-Brexit trade rules. IMAGES